


Every Little Thing

by acquamarinus



Category: Political RPF - US 21st c.
Genre: Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 12:00:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30038361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acquamarinus/pseuds/acquamarinus
Summary: Inspired by the song lyrics of the Beatles song: "Every Little Thing", early one morning Bill reflects on the fifty years he had spent together with his wife.
Relationships: Bill Clinton/Hillary Clinton
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	Every Little Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I mean no disrespect to the Clintons or anyone in this story.

**Every little thing**

_Every little thing she does  
She does for me, yeah  
And you know the things she does  
She does for me, ooh_

Bill suddenly woke up startled. He groaned as he rubbed his face and felt slightly disoriented. He turned his head to look at the alarm clock and squinted his eyes to make out the numbers: 5.23 am.

The last thing he remembered was reading his book and then… he groaned he must have fallen asleep, again. And yes, right there next to the alarm clock was the book he had been reading and his glasses sitting on top. Hillary must have slid them off his nose and tuck the book away, before switching off his bedside table lamp. He turned around to look at the sleeping form of his wife. She was turned towards him, her head resting on her folded hands and her mouth slightly open. He gently smiled, his heart bursting with love just looking at her. Fifty years have passed since the day they met. For fifty years they have shared a bed. Unfortunately, not every day of those fifty years. Many days circumstances had separated them: living in different states when they left Yale; campaigns; work; state visits; her senate years followed by her years as secretary of state years when they had to coordinate their schedules to be together and then the worst period of all, when, because of his stupid mistake and weakness, he had slept on the couch for months, the longest period they had slept in different beds since they got married. 

He had been feeling a bit nostalgic all that month as now and again memories of that March in 1971 came to the surface. He remembered that most of their classmates and people they knew at Yale had been surprised when they first presented themselves as a couple. He was the overly charming, sometimes disorganized and not very studious Southerner boy from Arkansas, and she was the diligent, intimidating and very opinioned young woman who had already made a name for herself. They couldn’t understand how two people who seemed so completely different on the surface, had such a strong connection. 

_When I'm walking beside her  
People tell me I'm lucky  
Yes, I know I'm a lucky guy  
I remember the first time  
I was lonely without her  
Can't stop thinking about her now_

_Yale- 1971_

_The loud music coming from the dorm room could be heard from around the corner. Hillary and Bill were walking down the corridor to the party they had separately been invited to._

_“Are you okay?” He asked her looking down at her. He would still smile at her small stature that he liked to tease her about._

_“Sure.” She answered but there was still a hint of edginess in her voice._

_“It’s going to be fine.” He smiled and took her hand in his. This was going to be their official night out since they became a couple._

_The attraction between them had been immediate and when Bill had followed her after class and started talking, they discovered that the connection between went even deeper. They had spent hours and hours walking and talking to each other: down the halls of the Yale art museum that was opened only for them, in the sculptor garden, in the diner where they share a meal until he finally walked her to her dorm and they shared their first kiss._

_That had been over a week ago and since then Hillary had officially broken up with her boyfriend even though they were already going their separate ways and the only one who really knew about them was her roommate. Bill hadn’t even told his roommates, but they were going to find out that night._

_Bill opened the door. The thing about these parties was than anyone could enter._

_“Hey, Bill is here!” one of the guys shouted when they saw them. If they noticed their entwined fingers, they didn’t comment on it._

_They nodded to different people as they walked towards a place they could sit. Finally, they saw a seat on the sofa and Bill sat on it and pulled Hillary on his lap. He had his arms around her and she was playing with his fingers. She loved his hands._

_“We should really try and mingle.” She told him._

_“I’m perfectly fine here.” He replied and they smiled at each other, losing themselves in their eyes. Bill couldn’t resist her lips and bent forward to kiss her._

_“Hey Bill” Doug, one of his roommates, joined them on the couch._

_“Doug.” Bill nodded at him. “This is Hillary.”_

_“Nice to meet you.” Hillary shook his hand._

_“Oh, so you’re the reason why Billy boy is always walking around the house with a smile on his face. We were thinking that he had finally lost it.”_

_“Very funny.” But he couldn’t deny that since Hillary entered his life, he felt lighter and happier. “Do you want anything to drink?” He asked her._

_“Sure.”_

_And Bill and Doug went towards the kitchen where there a vast selection of beverages. When he got back to her with a bottle of beer, Hillary was already talking to some of her friends. She smiled him in thanks and she silently gave him permission to spent time with his friends, if he wanted to._

_Never missing the opportunity to talk to everyone, he saw that Doug and Don were in the terrace with other people he knew and decided to join them. They spent time talking and laughing with Bill getting most of the attention, when someone suddenly elbowed him in his ribs and wiggled his eyebrows at him._

_“So, how did you manage to snag Hillary Rodham?” he asked before sipping his drink._

_Bill’s face turned red and looked down embarrassed. “I don’t know. We just connected.” He confessed._

_“You’re one lucky son of a gun.” Another one added. “She’s very smart and she was already famous before even coming here. She’s going to go to places.”_

_“And I bet that under those clothes and without those thick glasses, she’s not bad to look at, either.” The first young man smirked. “Even though she can be quiet intimidating. She takes things too seriously. Maybe you can loosen her up, if you know what I mean.” He gave him a knowing look._

_Bill didn’t like where the conversation was going and Doug noticed that as he tried to change the subject. “So, what did you think about last night’s game?”_

_The guy was obviously slightly drunk and clueless. “But maybe that’s how you like them. Tell me, Bill, is she bossy in bed as she is the classroom?”_

_Bill finally snapped and the punch came out of nowhere._

_“Son of a….” The guy shouted as he put a hand over his bleeding nose._

_“Don’t you ever talk about her like that!” Bill growled pointing a finger at him. “Or about any other woman, as a matter of fact.”_

_His friends dragged him away before things escalated._

_“What happened?” Hillary asked shocked as she only saw her boyfriend punching the other student._

_“Nothing.” Bill said firmly. “Let’s get out of here.”_

_Bill, Hillary, Doug and Don all got in a car and Don drove them to their beach house. He didn’t even know if Hillary wanted to go back to her dorm, but he thought Bill needed someone that night. The car was filled with an awkward silence. Bill was still fuming and Hillary was trying to put the pieces together._

_When they finally got to the house, Bill walked in silence towards his room leaving Hillary behind._

_She sighed wondering what she was going to do. “So, will someone tell me what happened?” she asked with a tone that clearly indicated she wasn’t someone you could mess with._

_Doug and Don looked at each other uncomfortably, but finally told her the whole story._

_“Have you got a first aid kit?” She suddenly asked._

_They were caught by surprise. “Huh?” Don was the first to react. “Oh, I think there’s one under the kitchen sink.” He got it for her._

_“Thanks.” She whispered and slowly made her way towards Bill’s room._

_When Hillary opened the door, she saw Bill sitting on his bed head bent down. He looked up startled, surprise to see her still there. He was loss of words._

_“Hey,” she whispered and kneeled in front of him as she placed the med kit besides her. She gently took his left hand and carefully check the bruises and scratches she had noticed in her the car._

_Bill hadn’t even noticed he was hurt. He hissed a bit when she applied the disinfectant. “Sorry” she muttered. And Bill couldn’t stop himself from smiling, slowly falling more in love with her. He was also worried. Would he lose her because of his stupid behavior? He already regretted losing his patience like that. Too many hurtful memories from his childhood, but he really couldn’t let someone talk about Hillary like that._

_“So,” she said after putting a bandage around his hand. “if this thing between us is going to continue, let’s make one thing clear.” She got up and put her hands on her hips. “I don’t need someone fighting my fights or defending my honor, I’m capable of doing it all on my own.”_

_Bill smiled and with a glint in his eyes. “I know.” He knew she was a strong woman, but he already felt a compelling urge to protect her._

_“I don’t really tolerate the use of violence, so if you really must intervene next time try using your words.”_

_“I will.” He kept on smiling._

_“Are you just going to sit there, stare at me and smile?” She raised her eyebrow at him._

_“You could always join me?” Then he suddenly realized how that sounded. “I didn’t mean…not to…” He stammered embarrassed._

_She chuckled. “I know.” They were not there yet. “But I would love to continue lecturing you about women’s right and the new role of feminism.”_

_“Can’t wait.” He made himself comfortable on the bed, leaning against the headboard._

_Hillary crawled on the bed and settled in his arms. She gave him a quick kiss before laying her head on his chest._

_He frowned. “What was that for? Not that I didn’t appreciate it or look forward to more of that.”_

_“Thank you for defending my honor” she looked at him._

_“Really?”_

_“Don’t let it go to your head, Clinton”_

_In that moment, Bill knew that with Hillary he was going to start the greatest adventure of his life._

_When I'm with her I'm happy  
Just to know that she loves me  
Yes, I know that she loves me now_

That was the first time she took care of him. In fact, she had been the first one to look after him after a very long time. From then on, they had been inseparable. Driving around in his car, studying for exams together, she met his mother, he met her family. He couldn’t even imagine spending the whole summer without her, so he followed her to California and then, much to their parents’ disapproval, they moved in together in a small apartment. Sooner than he had hoped for, it was time for them to graduate and leave law school. Bill had planned a getaway to Europe for the both of them. A way to spend some precious time together before life would hit them like a tsunami. The holiday had been planned, his first marriage proposal not so much. They both knew they loved each other, but that first proposal was born out of fear. He didn’t want to lose her. He was going back to Arkansas and she was going to Massachusetts to work at Children’s Defense Fund. The more he thought about it, then more he liked the idea. He loved her so much and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, he could see them being old together, but part of him was afraid that he could never give her the kind of life she deserved.

Bill had his head propped on his hand as he continued observing her. She slowly stirred in her sleep and he ran his right hand through her hair.

“Bill” she muttered with her eyes still closed.

“Shush,” he whispered. “It’s okay, go back to sleep.”

After a couple of breaths, she was deep in her sleep again.

Everyone had always talked and speculate about their relationship, most of the time also invading their privacy, but no one would ever understand it. Even at the beginning of his political career they would already criticize Hillary, saying that she wasn’t the perfect spouse for a politician. But they didn’t know their dynamic, how they worked together, how she was his sounding board when he was stuck with some policy, how she helped him strategize or whisper in his ear the perfect word to say, how he would have never been president without her.

And she wasn’t only his mind partner, they were also love and soul partners.

They didn’t know about their happy moments and all the laughing they did together, and they didn’t know how they had been there for each other in the sad moments. How she had helped him when one his friends committed suicide when they were just dating or how she had put all the pieces together when he was devasted after his had lost his first Governor election, how he had put his arms around her crying form trying to reassure her when after months of trying they still didn’t get pregnant. They didn’t know their ups and downs and the commitment they took together to raise their wonderful daughter.

And when she started running for office and he was more into public service, their roles switched but not their dynamic. He became a sounding boarding for her and helped her with her speeches and she knew that she could count on him when she needed to relax.

They couldn’t understand, not even who he thought were his friends.

_Los Angeles- 2005_

_Bill stood at the corner with some of the people who dragged him there. What was supposed to be just a dinner out with some of his friends, turned into a lively party with loud music. Honestly, he just wanted to go back to his hotel room and hope that Hillary was still awake to take his call. He didn’t have the energy or the interest of being there, but he had been told it was a good idea to show up so he could find someone interested in donating to the Clinton Foundation. If a few hours of pretending to have fun would lead to some good, he could do it. He had done it all his life while raising money for his campaigns._

_At the moment Bill was having a conversation with a young woman, introduced to him by Paul, who seemed interested in knowing what they were doing in Africa as part of their program to build schools. Speaking about his foundation, especially their progress in big hot continent, was a favorite topic of his, and Bill kept on enthusiastically talking and talking. At the beginning he was so engrossed by his speech that he hadn’t noticed the woman getting closer to him, but once he felt her put a hand on his arm, he soon recognized the signs and took a step back. He was the first one to admit that for some time he had been naïve not to recognize when a woman was hitting on him, and that had caused him some trouble with the media. But now, thanks to his daughter’s help, he noticed more when to intervene and how to discretely back away. Long gone were the days when he might have taken the offer. He had worked very hard on himself and he no longer needed the distractions, or wanted to hurt his family again._

_“Look,” He pointed at someone across the room “There’s my assistant. Why don’t you leave him your contact and I’m sure he will be happy to answer more of your questions?” Bill smiled and politely tried to dismiss her._

_“Okay.” The woman stammered, slightly taken aback wondering what had just happened. She read about his reputation, the entire world knew about it, and she had thought he was going to be an easy target._

_Everyone in his group saw her walk away. Paul snorted and shook his head. “Why did you let her go? She seemed interested in more than just the Foundation, if you know what I mean.”_

_“Well, I wasn’t!” Bill told him firmly, wondering what made him think that he was still that type of guy._

_“I don’t get it.” The other man took a sip of his drink. “Why don’t you get divorced already? You could have any woman you want without consequences. We’re not in the 80s or 90s anymore. People don’t really care if you’re divorced, they will still donate to the Foundation.”_

_Bill shifted on his feet, trying to calm down, but you could see the anger in his eyes._

_Other people in the group, who knew Bill better, could feel that this conversation wasn’t going to end well. “Paul, stop it.” One of them tried to warned him. “You’re clearly drunk.”_

_“It’s because of her, isn’t it?” They all knew who was the **her** he was referring to. “She has turned you into her puppet. You publicly humiliated her, so now you feel like you have to help her with her political career.” He smirked. “I’ve got news for you. Leaving her might be the best thing you could do for her. Better than ending up on the news again for being cheated on, because we all know it’s going to happen again.”_

_The former president took a step forward and one of his friends put himself in front of him at the last second. “Bill… you need to calm down, please.” He made a signal to Bill’s assistant and secret service. “You don’t want to make a scene.”_

_Bill looked around and noticed that they had attracted the attention of some people around them. He took a deep breath and tried to control his anger, then he looked up to the person he so wanted to hit._

_“Don’t you ever, ever, disrespect my wife again. And you should keep your mouth shut on things you know nothing about.” He abruptly turned around and made his way out through the crowd._

_Once in the car, he noticed he was shaking and took another deep breath._

_“Are you okay?” One member of his team asked. He had been nearby and had witness the entire scene. He always felt bad when people assumed the worst of his boss. In the years he had worked for the Clintons, he got to know a fantastic human being who simply adored his wife. If only people could see the deep love and connection the two shared._

_Bill nodded and took his mobile phone from out of his pocket. He couldn’t wait to get to the hotel room, he needed to hear his wife’s voice._

_She answered after a few rings. “Hey.” Her voice sounded groggy._

_Bill soon regretted his call; she was already in bed. “Sorry I woke you.” He apologized._

_“It’s okay. I’ve been trying to stay up for your call, but I just fell asleep while reading.”_

_“Long day?”_

_She lightly chuckled. “You could say that. What about you? How’s Los Angeles?”_

_He sighed. “Not as wonderful as our home, where I would really like to be right now.”_

_From the tone of his voice, Hillary recognized that something was wrong. “Are you okay?” Hoping that it wasn’t his heart._

_“I’m fine.” He tried to reassure her. “Just disappointed in how some people turned out to be.”_

_He didn’t want to share the details, that was something for another day. But he was going to tell her about it. No more secrets between, they told each other everything: the good and the bad._

_“I just wanted to hear your voice and tell you how much I miss you.” He softly told her._

_“I miss you too honey and I can’t wait until you get back.” A smile in her voice._

_“Might be sooner than expected it.”_

_“Well, then I’d better be ready for your return.” Her intentions very clear._

_He groaned. “Now I’m definitely coming home sooner.” He stopped where the conversation was going since he wasn’t alone. “I love you.”_

_“I love you too.”_

_There is one thing I'm sure of_

_I will love her forever_

_For I know love will never die_

Some in their circle of friends thought that, in this stage of their lives, he was more invested in their marriage than Hillary was. They would see him constantly sending her flowers when she needed cheering up; take her out to dinner, see plays or concerts; shower her with jewelry or presents; organize vacation days. They saw it as him redeeming himself for all the hurt he had caused her, but they didn’t know how he just liked seeing her smile and making her laugh.

He was famous for his grand public gestures, but there was more under surface that no one knew about and that was because their marriage was theirs, and theirs alone. They didn’t know everything. How Hillary sent him messages to remind him to take his meds or take a break when he was too involved in his work. How she would whisper in his ear during their public commitments because she knew he had missed some words. How she would sometimes massage his back or his knee while watching TV in the evening because she knew his muscles were hurting. How she would help him doing things without even asking because his hands would tremble.

And how she would always put his glasses and book away, turn the lights off when he would fall asleep while reading. 

They didn’t know every little thing she did for him.

Bill moved closer to his wife, put his arm around her and kissed her head, feeling every day even more grateful for their fifty years together.

_Every little thing she does  
She does for me, yeah  
And you know the things she does  
She does for me, ooh_


End file.
